He nephew Vincent had difficulty interacting with other people, but loves to play in the creek and see the horses when he comes to visit.He said his nephew's harmony with the natural world inspired his trip.

"This journey is dedicated to autism awareness and the importance of the environment in the lives of children with autism spectrum disorders," he said.

"The voices of autistic people are often hidden behind layers of social inabilities. This makes it difficult for those of us not living with autism to see that autistic people too need a clean natural world to bring balance to their lives," he said.